The NYC Department for the Aging (DFTA) has released a list of 50 senior centers which it proposes to close on June 30th. The closings, which are designed to save $4.2 million annually, are among a series of human service cuts proposed by Mayor Bloomberg in his Executive Budget in order to eliminate the City's $1.3 billion budget gap.
The closures are driven in part by anticipated proposed changes in the New York State's budgeting of Title XX funding and other reductions in aid to New York City. "We embarked on this painful process because the State's budget cut left us no other option," said DFTA Commissioner Lilliam Barrios-Paoli. "We are committed to doing what we can for the seniors and center staff whose lives will be affected. We will be providing all possible assistance through the difficult weeks ahead."
The 50 centers targeted for closure have been identified based on three possible criteria. Thirty- three of the centers serve fewer than 30 meals daily. Twenty of the centers operate on a part-time basis. Seventeen of the centers were identified as having "poor Vendex ratings or chronic issues.
Nine of the centers are located in the Bronx, 11 in Brooklyn, 16 in Manhattan, ten in Queens and four on Staten Island.
Jewish Association for Services for the Aged will lose a total of seven centers. Citizens Care Committee will lose six. Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services Inc. is losing four centers in Brooklyn and Queens. East Harlem Council for Human Services and Jamaica Service Program for Older Adults will each lose three centers.
A DFTA spokesperson emphasizes that the list is not yet final.